This amazing book releases on August 25th!

If you haven't before, make sure you grab the other books in this fantastic series today!

She's playing hard to get…to win the MMA fighter of her ultimate fantasies in a sultry new novel from New York Times bestselling author Lori Foster

Vanity Baker loves a good, clean match, but she's not above playing a little dirty. She's wanted Stack "The Wolf" Hannigan from day one. Seems as though the best way to corral the famously commitment-phobic fighter is to insist on keeping it casual. And her plan works—deliciously well—until Stack's past steps out of the shadows. Stack learned early to stay free of attachments. But with sexy, forthright Vanity, he's the one always left wanting more. Then his troublemaking family comes back into the picture, threatening everything Stack cares about—Vanity included. Suddenly he realizes they're much more than friends with benefits. He's ready to go to the mat for her…but will it be in time to protect the woman who's tamed him for good?

My Review:

Vanity and Stack have been dancing around each other for months, until Vanity gathered up all her courage and decided the way to Stacks heart was through a simple (is it ever really simple?) seduction. Tough Love begins at the wedding of two of their friends, Cannon and Yvette's wedding. At the end of Holding Strong (book two in the Ultimate Novel series) Vanity asks Stack to join her at the wedding as her date and promises one night in exchange. Vanity knows Stack, she's watched him, she's studied him, she wants him, but she knows that he does not do relationships. She also knows how to get what she wants and she has a plan, too bad that plan may be her ultimate failure. I really enjoyed Vanity. I appreciated how this girl who simultaneously lost everything (everyone) and gained a fortune stayed down to earth, not becoming a pretentious, bitter, spoiled rich girl. Vanity is a girl with a heart of gold and a giving nature. She lost her entire family in one horrible accident and it taught her to live everyday to it's fullest, to go after what she wants, to stand her ground when needed, and to love with her whole heart. I loved her strength and kindness, I loved that she put herself out there to help others when needed without even giving it a second thought. I loved her for her independence, she has taken care of herself for so long that he relies on no one, but I loved even more than she wasn't afraid to accept help and support when it was given or needed. Stack, it is truly hard not to fall head over heels for Stack. It is easy to see why Vanity fell hard for him. We know from previous books that he is commitment phobic, but what we don't truly see until now is his deep love for his family, friends, and community. Stack is 'knight' with a shining back eye, but a 'knight' none the less. Like all heroes he has a issues to overcome, his toughest being his inability to truly trust. To trust that someone won't lie to him, to trust that they want him for him, not for who he is or what he can do for them. He is a gentle soul in the body of beast. He's sexy, strong, protective, and caring. A huge downfall for me with Stack though was his inability (it seems) to think before he spoke. He harbors a lot of pain from past relationships, but wow he could cut down a tree with his words a time or two. Now we all know he was going to mess up, it is just the way of a contemporary romance and redemption is part of that formula, but I was really surprised by how thoughtless he could be of Vanity's heart a time or two. Good thing he knows how to make-up after a fight! The steamy scenes between these two characters are for lack of a better word HOT! I loved that you think coming into this book you are going to get an insta-love vibe but Lori Foster manages to give this couple time to really grow together. There are a lot of side stories that go on keeping our couple apart from each other a little more than I would have liked, but I appreciated that the moment we were all waiting for got dragged out a bit and once we got there, wow! I loved having Stack and Vanity together, they are an amazing pair and so perfectly suited for each other once they can both let go and be honest with one another. There is a true feeling of deep love between he two of them, I can very much see their relationship reflecting the relationship that Stacks mother and father had. Those daily words and touches of love, the simple sweet smiles, and not so sweet ones when they think no one is looking. Long nights of calm moments followed up by some pretty steamy not so calm ones. It always feels good to set down a book and be able to imagine the lives of the books characters long after you have finished reading and I never fail to do that with one of Lori Foster's stories, and especially with Stack and Vanity. Tough Love is part of a series and I will of course suggest that you read the first books before starting this one but...Tough Love could be picked up and read as a Standalone. You will get a few spoilers for past books in case you decided to go back and read them, and there might be a time or two you scratch your head over a few moments but in general you will not be lost. No Limits is the title of the first book, but start with Hard Knocks (a novella), a prequel to the series. Fans of Contemporary Romances, MMA, NALit, strong female heroines and alpha males will enjoy this book. The fighting takes a back seat to the romances in this series, so don't go in looking for an in-depth of the MMA/Fighting world. I am thoroughly enjoying this series and ARMIE is next in Fighting Dirty....I CAN NOT WAIT!

~HAPPY READING~

Excerpt:

She softened. Harking back to the idiotic joke about him being a wolf and how ladies reacted, she said, “At least I didn’t howl, right?”

Mocking her, he said, “Little bit.”

She laughed. “Well, I wouldn’t want to ruin your rep.” Now decently covered, she sat on the bed beside him and pulled on socks. “So what’s happening? A street light go out? Lady’s cat stuck in a tree? Somebody have a flat tire?”

“No, smart-ass.” Is that really what she thought they did? If so, he wouldn’t correct her. Soon enough she’d find out that, with Cannon’s leadership, they’d become watchdogs for the neighborhood. Together they’d run off drug dealers, stopped extortion, helped family-run businesses stay open, and secured the safety of the young and the elderly. Being honest, Stack told her, “But if that happened, we’d help if we could.”

“Of course you would.” She looked beneath the bed, found ankle boots and, sitting on the floor, pulled them on. “So what’s going on then?”

He eyed the boots with curiosity. Why the hell was she getting dressed? “My mom collapsed.”

Her face fell. “Oh, God, Stack.” Scrambling back to her feet, she said, “I’m so sorry!”

She looked sincerely, deeply sorry. Huh. They hadn’t yet slept together, she’d never met his mom, but she cared all the same. “My sister called while we were in the shower. When she couldn’t reach me, she called Armie.”

“She knows him?”

“They’ve met. In case of an emergency she has his number along with a few others.”

Her small hand covered her mouth. “So this is an emergency?”

“Hard to say.” He stood and buttoned up his tux shirt, leaving it untucked. “Tabby’s all into drama, so if Mom stubbed her toe, she’d be as likely to call it life and death.”

Gasping, Vanity whispered, “Life and death? That was her message?”

He had to grin at her horrified expression. “No, she just told Armie that Mom collapsed. I’ll call her on my way out to find out the details.”

Nodding, Vanity rushed to her closet and withdrew a dark poncho. She snagged his hand and started out of the room. “Come on.”

When Stack didn’t budge, she pulled up short.

They stared at each other.

“Why are you waiting? You need to make that call!”

Stack nodded. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“With you.”

She said that so matter-of-factly that he frowned in suspicion. “Why would you—”

Exasperated, she hooked her arm through his and tried to get him moving. “You haven’t yet met your obligations. Until you do, I’m not giving you a chance to back out.”

“Believe me, I’ll be back as soon as possible.” He allowed her to drag him to the front door. This time, knowing sex wasn’t on the agenda, he looked around with more interest.

“I’m going with you.”

“Not to a hospital to meet my family.”

“Yes.”

Giving up his perusal of her interesting artwork, he turned to her. The innocence in her face amped up his suspicions even more. “That makes zero sense, darlin’, and you know it.”

TOUGH LOVE is part of the Ultimate series. Check out all the books in the Ultimate series today!

Praise for TOUGH LOVE:
“Foster brings her signature blend of heat and sweet to her addictive third Ultimate martial arts contemporary. Foster ably tosses out red herrings and also seamlessly lays the foundation for the next book in this series. This luscious tale will appeal to Foster’s legion of fans and attract new ones—even those who aren’t fans of professional fighting.”- Publishers Weekly

About Lori Foster:
Since first publishing in January 1996, Lori Foster has become a USA Today, Publisher’s Weekly and New York Times bestselling author. Lori has published through a variety of houses, including Kensington, St. Martin’s, Harlequin, Silhouette, Samhain, and Berkley/Jove. She is currently published with HQN.
Lori hosts a very special annual “Reader & Author” event in West Chester, Ohio. Proceeds from the event have benefited many worthy causes, including the Hamilton County YWCA Battered Women’s Shelter, the Animal Adoption Foundation, The Conductive Learning Center for children with spina bifida and cerebral palsy, and The One Way Farm, Children’s Home.
Each year Lori donates all proceeds from one book to charity. You can see the benefit romance books here: http://lorifoster.com/benefit-books/